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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · plane · fan · capital · row · pass · rash · chest

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. chest — a box
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. row — a line
  12. rash — a series
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pass — a permit
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. capital — a city
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. row — to paddle
  22. capital — money
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com